Intelligence
by SilverMidnight52
Summary: Neal finally reaches his limit with Peter. Final part (9th) of Neal/Mozzie universe.


This is how I think things would end between Neal and Peter. A little headcanon of mine for Neal is that he's good with everything until someone insults his intelligence. Out of everything that he's ever done that's what he's most proud of.

Warning: None that I can think of

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Hissing softly Neal pulled his hand away from his wrist and saw the dark bruise already forming. It wasn't close to being the worst injury he had ever had, but it hurt so much more than any of the other ever could. Though that might have just been his ego.

When Peter had told him that he was going undercover once more he couldn't say that he was surprised. That was pretty much the only thing that he had been doing since he started working with the FBI.

Don't get him wrong. He loved doing undercover work. It was similar enough to pulling a con that he didn't have a real reason to hate it. Except for the fact that it happened almost every single time they had a case.

Even when it was just him and Mozzie he didn't have to go under as often. Yes, it was a huge part of the life, but there were cases in-between where he got to relax and do other things. He missed being able to do other things.

Not just that either. It was him _and_ Mozzie. He knew that when push came to shove the older man was right there ready to help and had the knowledge to help if he needed to. There were no safe words or hidden messages. He just knew what to do. He knew Neal.

There had been more than a few times in their partnership that the older man and put himself in harms way because he knew that Neal was in danger. The forger had done the same in return when his lover needed help.

Given it wasn't something that happened all that often, but they did still mess up sometimes. They were human and so were the people that they were trying to con. Mistakes happened and the only thing a person could do was come up with a better plan the next time around.

A mistake was exactly what had happened that night. One that could have been avoided if he had just stayed home like his lover hand wanted him to when he said that he didn't feel well. Peter had told him to 'cowboy up' though so he had gone into work.

Neal still wasn't sure what had happened when he was with their target. He knew that one second he was talking and laughing with the man like they were old friends and the next he was being pushed onto the ground as the guy ran out of the bar.

He had no idea what he had done or said to spook the man into doing that. Which wasn't surprising since the headache that he had started the day with was quickly turning into a migraine. He really should have stayed home.

If he was honest Neal wasn't sure what stung more. The fact that he possibly broken his wrist or that he had missed what led up to it. It wasn't like him to be so blind to what the target was thinking when he was with them.

He truly had thought that he knew what was going on in the man's mind. That he had gotten a good enough read on him to know what he was and wasn't willing to do. That the man fallen for his con.

That was his job after all. He figured out the best way to become friends with someone. He figured out their buttons so he knew what to do and say to get them to trust him even if they had just met him.

His entire career was about being able to read people and then get them to let their guard down. It had taken a lot of time for him to learn how to do that and he had thought that he was pretty good at it.

It didn't bode well for him that he had missed an important part of the target. It was even worse when he realized that he still had no idea what he had done to lose whatever relationship he had built with the man.

Mozzie had been right. Ever since he joined up with the FBI he had let himself start to slip. On a normal con he would never have allowed himself to go in when he didn't feel well. Even Keller wouldn't have let him go under if he wasn't 100%.

Everything they did was tied into their ability it use their brains. If they didn't feel well enough to focus their thoughts than they were useless until they could. Going undercover when one did not feel well was the quickest way to get killed.

Still, that was exactly what he had done. He had let himself believe that he had enough backup that everything would be fine. He couldn't believe that he let himself get so comfortable knowing that he had a van full of people ready to keep himself safe.

After everything that had happened to him over his entire life he should know better than to think someone else could protect him in situations like that. Even when he went under with a partner that could fight he knew better.

It didn't matter how skilled you were. If you weren't focused and in the moment than nothing would go your way. It was why being drugged was so dangerous in his line of work. It was too easy to lose focus. To lose control. Mozzie had taught him that.

Safety was a big issue in his lover's mind. He wasn't the type of person that liked to fight, but he had his skills. Like a random, and frankly scary, amount of blades hidden in objects. Add the fact that he knew all the pressure points of the human body and he was a pretty admirable opponent.

Neal was similar in that way. He liked to use his words and his charm to get out of situations. Yes, he could use a gun and throw a punch, but he didn't like it anymore than Moz did. They weren't violent. Violence lacked creativity and took the skill out of being an art thief.

Mozzie had always told him that if you had to use force or violence to get what you wanted than you weren't a thief, you were pathetic. If a thief did their job correctly than they never had a reason to cause harm.

That was why he spent so much time studying. It might not seem like it from the outside, but the one thing that took up most of their time was learning and reading. He spent more time looking and reading about art than he did forging it.

He knew that it wasn't something most people thought about when it came to stealing things, but a cons greatest asset was his mind. It would shock a lot of people just how many art lectures he had sneaked into over the years.

Not just because he had to keep with the latest news either. Which was something that he always had to be aware of. No, he went because he loved. You didn't get to his level of skill without having a love for it. And it was a love.

As hard as it was to believe that was what kept him going back. It wasn't that he liked being a con or that the stealing gave him a rush. He loved the art that he got to see. He loved sitting with a book reading about some newly found idea. He loved knowledge.

That was why he hurt as much as he did. Yes, mistakes did happen, but the fact that it had been him that made it hurt. He was supposed to be better than that. He wasn't supposed to make stupid mistakes.

"What the hell was that?" Peter practically yelled storming up to him.

"Peter, I..." Neal tried to start though he had no idea what to say.

"How could you be so stupid, Caffrey?"

"What? I didn't..."

"You let him get away!"

"I told you I didn't feel well, Peter. I don't even remember..."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that the great Neal Caffrey couldn't do something so simple as getting a confession without fucking up because he didn't feel well. Should I call Mozzie and get him to come and get you?"

"Peter!"

"No! You just cost us this man and you better hope there's another way or our little agreement is done! You can't just skate by on your looks and think that's enough! You have to use your brain for once in your life!"

Neal felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on his head. The agent had yelled at him more than a few times since they started working together, but he had never questioned his intelligence before.

The two of them had their issues sometimes, but at the core they were friends. They had each others backs just like normal partners did. Neither would just dismiss the other just because they were feeling a little frustrated.

For a moment the two men stared at each other in silence. The forger was sure that the man would realize what he had just said any second and apologize. He was just under stress and that made people say hurtful things. He just had to wait for his friend to say sorry.

"Go home," Peter ordered turning away from him, "You've done enough damage."

Blinking a few times Neal nodded his head before turning and leaving the crime scene. For the first time he kept his head down not caring what the people around him thought. They had already heard what Peter had to say.

No one bothered to say anything to him as he rounded the corner and started towards June's house. At least that's where his feet were taking him. He wasn't sure that he was in complete control of his mind at that moment.

As he walked he replayed Peter's words in his mind. He knew that he had made some mistakes during the con. It happened sometimes. Running a con was a lot harder than it sounded. There were points in time when things got out of hand. It was no ones fault.

Peter had to know that. Yes, he was good at convincing people to do what he wanted. That didn't happen all the time though. People were unpredictable at best. Sometimes it worked out the best way and sometimes there was no point in even trying anymore.

Those moments were few and far between, but they did happen. For the most part he'd simply regroup and try to think of anything way in. Sometimes he'd realize when he was beat and would walk away before something bad happened.

He didn't get to do that with the FBI. If they were after a mark than they never gave up. Even when it was a good idea. According to Peter though it was never okay to walk away. They had a job to do and they were going to do it one way or the other. Neal hated when the man said things like that.

Sometimes it felt as if the agent had no idea how dangerous his job was. Everything he did was putting his life on the line and unlike the feds he didn't carry a gun or have true fight training. He had to rely on his intelligence to get him out of danger.

His smarts were the thing he was most proud of. Some of the happiest memories he had were when he figured out the answer to a problem no one else could. It made everything that he had ever done worth it.

Intelligence is what kept him safe. Yes, he had a good face. He could admit that he was an attractive person, but that was it. His face didn't do anything but get him a double check. Once he had eyes on him than it was his brain that took over.

The fact that Peter had thrown all of his hard work in his face like that hurt. Especially since he had pointed out that he wasn't going to be at his best. He had told the older man that they should push off the meet until a later date.

Peter had pushed off his thoughts like they were nothing. He refused to see all the hard work that Neal had put into everything that he did. He refused to see that the man was anything more than a pretty face that he could control like a puppet.

He worked so hard to prove that he was smart enough to run with the best. That he was smart enough to be the best.. That he was more than just his face. How could the older man not see how hard he had worked for what he had?

The agent hadn't admitted it often, but he had said that he was impressed by him. That he had always followed him because he was so smart. That was one of the reasons why he worked as hard as he did. He liked knowing that he had impressed the man.

Now that he thought about it he realized just how stupid he had been. He thought of Peter like a friendly rival that turned into just a friend. The idea that the man didn't think the same way shouldn't be as shocking as it was.

It wasn't as if no one hadn't warned him something like that was going to happen. He was told almost everyday that he needed to open his eyes before it was too late. He had ignored his lover's advice and let the agent con him.

Sometimes he forgot how long Mozzie had been doing this. It was easy to push his concerns away and say that he was being paranoid. It was easy to argue that Peter was a good man that only wanted to see Neal succeed outside of the life. He should have known better.

When it came to Moz the man only cared about two people. Mr. Jeffries and Neal. They were the two people that he would drop all of his faces for. All the theories and paranoia disappeared if they were in any kind of danger. Neal working for the FBI was a danger. He should have listened.

"Neal," Cindy greeted happily as she walked out of June's house with Bugsy in her arms, "Did you ever… Are you okay?"

"No," he muttered in too much pain to care about saving face.

The young woman quickly opened the door and put the dog inside before rushing to his side to help him. Her hands were gentle but firm as she lead him into the house and then to the couch in the living room.

As soon as he was sitting down she raced off deeper into the house leaving him sitting there with Bugsy staring at him worriedly. A choked laugh fell from him as he reached out with his good hand to lift the small dog into his lap.

Instantly the pug was licking at his bruised wrist as if he was trying to heal it. The tears that he didn't know he was holding back started to stream down his face at that. For a moment he simply sat there watching the dog only to jump when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"Neal?" Mozzie questioned staring at him worriedly, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Bad day," the forger muttered as his lover sat next to him.

"Okay. What happened to make it a bad day? Outside of your wrist."

Bugsy let out a soft growl but jumped out of the way when the con took Neal's wrist in his hand. He hated how cold he felt without the little dog in his lap even though Mozzie was right next to him

"I'll get some ice," Cindy offered somewhere behind him.

"I messed up," Neal whispered looking at the bruised skin, "The guy got away."

"That happens," Mozzie replied calmly, "We've lost a few cons in the past because of things. No ones fault."

"Peter doesn't see it that way. He thinks it's my fault. He thinks I'm stupid."

A silence fell over the older man when Neal said that. Not that he really noticed. He was too caught up in thinking about what the agent had said to him. He still couldn't believe what had happened.

"Neal," June started sitting on the coffee table in front of him and placing a cold compress against his wrist, "I know you don't feel well, Dear, but I need you to tell me what happened with Agent Burke."

"I don't know," Neal shrugged wincing slightly at the cold, "I had a headache this morning. Moz told me not to go into work because my headaches usually turn into migraines if I'm not careful. I tried to tell Peter I didn't feel well, but he told me to 'cowboy up' and do my job. So I went undercover.

I started to feel worse though.

My head was pounding and I felt sick to my stomach. I guess I said something I shouldn't have. I don't remember. The next thing I know I'm on the ground with a hurt wrist. I tried to tell Peter that we could try again, but he was so mad at me. He started to yell and said that I needed to use my brain for once in my life."

"He ignored you when you said… No, let's not waste time talking about the _suit."_

Shaking his head Neal pulled away from the woman and walked to the other side of the room. As much as he wanted to be comforted by his friends at the moment in time he felt like it was the last thing he deserved.

"He's not wrong," he offered not looking at them.

"Neal," Mozzie tried to speak.

"I'm not smart, Moz. I'm not skilled… I'm a mimic. I memorize what I'm told and repeat it as if I came up with it myself. I forge great artists because I can't do it myself. I pretend to be people that I could never dream of being. I'm nothing more than a mimic now. Take away all of this I'm just a street kid that had sex for money. That's all I'm ever be."

"No, it's not. Neal, you are one of the smartest people that I've ever met."

"Don't..."

"No, my turn to talk. You know that I wouldn't be with you if you weren't smart. I'd have gotten annoyed with you a long time ago if you weren't smart."

"I know. You need a partner-in-crime that can keep up with you, but that doesn't..."

"Yes, I do. I need someone that I don't have to explain everything to. I need someone that can have a real conversation with me. That's not what I meant though."

"Then what…?"

"Neal, I wouldn't have fallen for you if you weren't as smart as you are."

Blinking a few times Neal stared at the older man letting his words sink in. He knew that Mozzie cared about intelligence a lot. He was the one that ended up teaching Neal a lot of what he had learned. He was also the one that had a quote for just about ever situation.

He never would have guessed that Mozzie had cared about his intelligence all that much though. Yes, he was able to keep up with the man, but that was just because they had been working with each other for so long. Right?

Oddly enough it wasn't really something they talked about. They both just lived their lives. Yes, they talked about new things they learned, but that was just what friends did. It didn't have to mean anything.

"You're intelligence is what drew me to you," the man continued after a pregnant pause making his way towards him, "The way you light up when you learn something. The way that you get so excited telling me some new information. The way that you can read the same book multiple times and still learn something different. All of that is what drew me to you."

"It was just my brain that caught your attention?" Neal questioned turning around to look at him.

"What else would it have been?"

"The fact that I'm a good face for cons?"

"Do you really think I care about your looks, Neal?"

"No, but you did think I was attractive when we first met. You knew that I could get you into places because of how I look. That's how this partnership started."

"Our partnership started because you beat and unbeatable game. The fact that you have a good face came into play after I decided to take you under my wing. Your attractiveness had nothing to do with that."

Taking a shaky breath Neal stared into the older man's eyes trying to look for the lie. There had to be a lie. There was no way that Mozzie could mean what he was saying. If Peter hadn't… Except Mozzie wasn't Peter.

In the end Peter had a reason to keep him around. He had a use for him. Mozzie had willingly taken a step back from the life they had led because he wanted to be around Neal. Mozzie was the one that loved him for who he was and not what he could be.

"Neal," the older man tried once more, "Do you care that look wise I'm about a zero?"

"What are you talking about? You're one of the most beautiful people I've ever met."

"Really?"

"Yes. Look at you. You're the smartest, kindest, best person that I've ever met. You're absolutely beautiful."

"You do know that none of the things you listed were about my looks right?"

"They weren't? Huh. I guess they weren't. I didn't notice. I just…"

"You just care about Mozzie," June stated walking up to them both, "Neal, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. Not because you're handsome, but because of your heart and your mind. Your looks aren't what defines you in any way, shape, or form."

Looking between two people that he loved more than anything he couldn't help but smile. After everything that had happened that day he had thought that he was in the wrong for it all. Mozzie was right. He was blind when it came to Pet… the Suit.

"June," Neal started holding out his unhurt hand for her to take, "Thank you for everything that you and your family has done for me. For being a part of my family."

"I will always be a part of your family," she replied holding his hand tightly her eyes glistening with tears, "And this will always be your home. No matter what."

His smile grew as he hugged her gently pressing a kiss to her cheek. He wished that he could have one of the hugs that filled him with warmth, but with his hurt wrist that was all that he could hope for. For that time at least.

"Moz," Neal said turning to his lover, "You ready to leave?"

"Do you even need to ask?" the older man smirked already holding up passports, "You know that I want to leave, but I have to ask. Are you sure?"

"That I want to leave? No, I don't. I want to stay here with June and her family, but I can't work with Burke anymore. He's not the man that I thought he was and I know if I stay I won't be the man that I am."

"Don't worry, Neal," June offered with a smile resting a hand on his arm, "Everything will be fine."

"I didn't want to leave you," he shook his head looking over at her again, "I love being here with you."

"And I love having you here. You're like the son I never had. This isn't a good-bye though."

"It'll be a few years before the feds aren't watching you."

"You let me worry about them. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. For now let Mozzie do what he does best and stay safe."

With a tearful smile Neal nodded his head before turning to his lover. The older man was already waiting at the doorway with a pair of scissors in his hand. Taking a deep breath the forger made his way over and took the scissors. With one last smile he bent down and cut his anklet for the last time.


End file.
